The cause of a fire which claimed the life of a “kind and funny” pensioner has been confirmed.

Terry Kidman, 72, died in the early hours of last Friday morning when a blaze started inside the living room of his home in New Barns Avenue, Ely.

Firefighters managed to gain access to the house, despite the thick smoke, but Mr Kidman – known among friends and neighbours as ‘Terry with the hat’ – was pronounced dead at the scene.

Today (Wednesday), following days of investigating, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) confirmed that the cause of the inferno was accidental, and that the most likely cause was an electric blanket.

Terry’s death has left his neighbours, with whom he was close, shocked and saddened.

Speaking to the News, Iain McDougall, who lives directly next door to the property, and whose family had to be evacuated when the fire broke out, said: “We’re all absolutely gutted.

“Terry was a friendly and kind man. A lot of people thought he was a bit of a recluse but he wasn’t.

“He liked his privacy and his own space but would always chat away to his neighbours.

“He lived in the house with his mum, Mabel, and when she died in the early 1980s he just continued to live there. I think he’s lived there for at least 40 years.

“I had not long been in bed when the fire broke out.

“My wife, Heidi, looked out the bedroom window as she heard a loud cracking sound and that’s when we saw the smoke coming out of his living room window.

“He lived in mainly the downstairs of the house and spent the majority of his time in the living room.

“He had a wicked sense of humour and it almost feels like we’ve lost a family member.”

Sarah Bales, who lives opposite the house, said: “Terry was Terry. He could be a bit cantankerous sometimes but he was kind and funny and we all used to have such a giggle.

“He loved his Mercedes, which was left to him in a will, and he enjoyed watching DVDs.

“He was a lovely neighbour and because he didn’t have any family I suppose we all just used to look out for him.

“We’re all shocked and saddened by what’s happened.”

The fire broke out at around 12.55am.

A spokesman for CFRS said: “On arrival of the first crew, the police were at the scene and had smashed a window to try to gain access but were unable to get inside due to the smoke.

“Fire crews from Littleport and Ely attended and entered the house.

“They discovered the body of an elderly man in the front room where the fire had started.

“An investigation has concluded that the cause of the fire was accidental. The most likely cause was an electric blanket.”